


Matchmaker, Matchmaker

by jackson_nicole



Category: Divergent (Movies)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Inspired By Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 05:00:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackson_nicole/pseuds/jackson_nicole





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright, listen up!” Four called as the Dauntless initiates jumbled around the train. “The game is very simple. Capture the flag. We will split into two teams, first one to get the other team’s flag wins.”

“Desi.” Eric called. Desi stepped forward and dropped three rolled up bundles in the middle of the two men and unrolled them. She took out one of the guns and handed it to Eric. “Weapon of choice. I know it doesn’t look like much, but believe me...Unless you want to volunteer as a demonstration, keep your mouths shut.”

Desi gave Eric a look as she passed out the remaining guns and rolled her eyes.

“These are loaded with neuro stim darts.” Desi said. “Stimulating the effects and pain of a real bullet, so be prepared.”

“Four and I are captains. I’ll go first.” Eric said. He regarded Desi for a moment, as she fell in line behind him and Four, then turned to the initiates as he and Four picked their teams. They had brought Desi along because this years’ initiates were left at an odd number, so they needed to compensate for the game.

“Well, Eric. It looks like you’re one short.” Four said, smirking. It was no secret that Eric and Desi weren’t all too fond of each other. They didn’t hate each other, but they were definitely not fond of each other. Eric glanced at Desi, who closed her eyes and sighed. “That’s what happens when you don’t do the math and get cocky.”

Eric gave him a look then called out, “Desi...Unfortunately, you’ll be my second tonight.”

“ _Believe me_ , Eric," Desi said, cocking the gun. "I’m not excited about it either.”

Four snickered as Eric turned to her, surprised she’d said anything to his comment. She gave him a sideways glance before he turned straight to face Four and his team.

“May the best team win.” Four said, holding out his hand. Eric smirked and took it.

“We will,” Eric said, giving his hand a quick squeeze then dropping it.

~

The game ended as Eric and Four were locked in a shootout as one of Four’s team members claimed the flag and whistled out over the crowd. Eric looked up and sighed as Four cheered along with the rest of his team. Desi sighed and rested her back against the wall across from Eric.

“I told you it should have been done somewhere else,” Desi said, pushing herself off the wall and going to help up the fallen initiates.

“We hide it around here every year, Desi,” Eric said, yanking the boys around him up. Desi looked at him.

“Exactly.” She said. Eric looked at her and made a face, shoving his gun into its holder. He called all the initiates back to them to head back. As they headed back toward the train, Eric grabbed a few of the transfers to follow him. Desi fell in step with him as they veered off from the group heading to the train.

“You really picked out the weaker ones for this.” She said. Eric chuckled and glanced at her.

“What? We need to see what they're made of, Des.” Eric said. Desi sighed and shook her head before she made to turn back. Eric stopped and grabbed her arm as he turned to her. “Come with us.”

Desi looked at him, eyebrow raised. “Excuse me?” She said.

“Come on. You’ve never done it.” Eric said.

“Yeah, there’s a reason for that.” Desi said, shifting her weight and crossing her arms.

“ _One_ person died because he had a faulty clip. We’ve fixed that. And it was years ago. When you and I were initiates.” Eric said.

“And he was a friend. I’m not going.” Desi gave him a pointed look and turned on her heel to head back to the train.

“I’ll make you a deal,” Eric said. Desi stopped and sighed, turning back around. She looked at him with a bored expression on her face, waiting. Eric chuckled and took a few steps closer as he spoke. “If you do it, even just get into the harness...I’ll give you three times to interfere with the initiates.”

Desi scrunched her face, annoyed.

“Oh, come on. We all know you go soft on them.” Eric said, reaching a hand up to graze a crooked finger over her cheek. Desi batted it away.

“I’m not soft. I know the difference between discipline and straight up arrogance.” She said. Eric shrugged.

“Still.” He said. Desi sighed.

“Fine. And if I make it to the bottom?” She asked.

“Let’s start with if you can’t even handle getting into the harness…” Eric said, a snide smirk on his face.

“Okay…”

“If you can’t even get into the harness, you have to keep your mouth shut for the rest of the initiation. No matter what.” Eric said. Desi scoffed and smirked, letting out a chuckle.

“Please. I can get into the harness.” She said. Eric held up his hands in defense.

“Alright. Alright. Well, if you make it to the bottom?” Eric started. He paused, causing Desi to raise her eyebrows at him. Eric thought about his offer. He was sure she’d blow him off at just getting into the harness, so he had to make this worth her while. “If you make it to the bottom...I’ll let you take the lead on discipline.”

“Not good enough,” Desi said with a smirk. “I force my way into it anyway.”

Eric sighed. “Fine. Then I’ll…” Eric couldn’t think of anything, until Desi stepped in, the same snide smirk Eric wore on her face.

“How about we make this really interesting?” She offered. Eric held out a hand in acceptance of her offer. “I make it to the bottom...And you cook me dinner for an entire week. No help, no bitching out.”

Eric blinked in shock. He didn’t exactly know how to cook outside his basic burgers or steaks.

“Get your hands on a cookbook if you have to, but those are my terms. You agree to a week’s worth of dinner and I’ll make it to the bottom.” She said. Eric’s face turned sour. That wasn’t something he wanted to do, but at the same time, he was so sure she would get to the harness and freak out, he smirked and held out his hand.

“Deal.” He said. Desi smirked and didn’t shake his hand. “Well?”

“Well, hang on. You gave me two terms, both of which I get right? If I make it to the bottom, that means I got into the harness...So I get a week’s dinner and I get three step-ins?” She asked, her voice turning sweet on the question. Eric blinked. He hadn’t thought this through. “If you don’t want to follow your own terms, I’ll leave.”

“Fine,” Eric grumbled. “Both terms, _if_ you make it to the bottom. _Deal?_ ”

Desi giggled and held out her hand to him. “Deal.”

Eric shook it and sighed, turning on his heel to climb up the stairs. Desi snickered and followed him up the stairs. As they climbed higher and higher, the reality started setting in that she had to do this. Eric pushed open the door and the wind hit her. She took a step through and closed her eyes. When she opened them, the entire city stood before her, cloaked in darkness, a few sprinkling of lights here and there. Eric watched her as the initiates filed in after her.

“So? It’s time to put up or shut up.” Eric said, going to the ziplines. Desi watched him as he handed off his gun. “I’ll go first, how about that? Will that make you feel better?”

Desi flipped him off and crossed her arms as she inched her way over to the edge. She peered over and her heart started racing.

“Well?” Eric asked. Desi turned to him, her face solid.

“Go on.” A smirk formed on her face. “It’ll give you more time to think of things to make. We agreed on an entire week.”

Eric chuckled as he got strapped in.

“See you back at Dauntless, Desi,” Eric said. She kicked his foot and said, “See you at the bottom.”

Eric looked at her and smirked as the Dauntless-born initiates sent him flying. As Desi watched him, all her fears came rushing back to her. She felt her hands begin to shake and she curled them into tight fists.

“Ready, Des?” One of the boys called to her. Desi took a deep breath and stepped up. The boys helped strap her in and she smirked.

 _Got into the harness, Eric._ She thought to herself. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to talk herself down from her panic.

“Ready?” Another boy asked. Before she could respond and just as her eyes opened, they launched her down the line. Desi gasped and clung to the harness as she flew through the air. She squeezed her eyes shut as the buildings passed.

 _You can do this, Desi! You got into the harness! You have nowhere else to go but the bottom! Open your eyes!_ She screamed in her head. Desi’s eyes shot open, her blue eyes burning with determination and her dark hair streaming behind her. She saw the glowing blue lights ahead and braced herself. She’d never done the zip line before, but her friends had told her what to expect, in case she decided to do it. She gripped the harness as she came to the first exchange. She got through and barreled straight down toward the second. She braced herself as the second exchange brought her back to her original alignment. Seeing the glowing X in front of her, she reached back and gripped the cold metal for the brake line. Once she heard the hollering of her fellow Dauntless, she yanked the cord and heard the awful screeching as the brake slowly brought her to a stop.

Once the other Dauntless realized it was Desi who rode down, they cheered for her and helped her unstrap and set her on the ground. She wobbled a bit at first, her adrenaline still rushing through her, but she smiled, nonetheless, as she made her way through the crowd and came to stand before a dumbfounded Eric. Seeing his face made the entire thing worth it. Desi chuckled and crossed her arms as Eric cleared his throat and shifted, holding his hands behind his back.

“You made it down,” Eric said. Desi nodded.

“Yeah. I did. So...Get ready. Your week starts tomorrow.” She patted Eric’s shoulder as she moved passed him and the other Dauntless followed, congratulating her. Eric closed his eyes and sighed.

~

Desi wanted nothing more than to get back to her apartment and lay in her bed for a good few minutes to let her body calm down. But the second she got in and got comfortable, there was a knock on her door. Desi sighed and rubbed her temples.

“I’m not getting up! Who is it?!” She called.

“* _Des? It’s Four._ *” Four called. Desi sighed.

“It’s open.” She said, sitting up. The door slid open and Four walked in, closing the door behind him. “I know I’m second after the leaders, but can I get some damn peace for once? I’m not even a leader yet!”

Four smirked and chuckled as he walked up to sit on the side of her bed. “Sorry, but I heard you took the zip line down? Even after Matthew?” Four asked, impressed. Desi shrugged.

“Eric roped me into it.” She said. Four’s face changed immediately.

“Wait. Eric forced you into this?” Four asked.

“Four...Unclench. We made a deal.” Desi said, smirking. Four blinked, confused. Desi chuckled and said, “He told me if I got into the harness, I get three vetoes with his dealings with the initiates when I feel like he’s being too much of an ass.”

“You did the zip line for that?” Four asked, incredulously. Desi gave him a look.

“Do I look that dumb?” Desi asked. Four smirked as Desi continued, “No. As of tomorrow…”

Desi’s smirk grew in pride.

“I have Eric making me dinner for a week. No help, no kitchen food. He’s going to get it all and cook it all himself.” Desi said. Four started laughing. Desi giggled and laid back against her pillows.

“You’re not serious?” Four asked. Desi nodded. “That is priceless. What did you have to do for that?”

Desi shrugged. “Make it to the bottom.” She said. Four laughed again and shook his head. He looked at her.

“And you were okay during it? You took it really hard when Matthew died.” Four said, gently. Matthew and Desi had grown close during the first half of their initiation. When he died, Desi almost didn’t make the cut out of mourning. Desi took a deep breath and sat up, gathering her knees to her chest.

“Yeah. I know. But it actually helped.” Desi said with a soft smile. Her smile tweaked into a smirk as she said, “Plus I basically have Eric as my slave now, so yes, it was definitely worth it.”

Four chuckled and laid a hand on her arm, giving it a gentle pat. “Well, I just wanted to check on you. They didn’t tell me much, just that they were shocked that you had come down.” He said. Desi nodded.

“I’m okay. Just buzzing from it all. I _just_ want to sleep.” She said. Four chuckled and nodded as he stood. As he went to the door he said, “Yeah, it’s probably best; You have a whole week of nights to spend with Eric. Godspeed.”

Desi laughed as Four left, his own laughter echoing through the hall. Desi sighed and fell back into her pillows and closing her eyes to slowly drift off to sleep.

~


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Desi noticed that Eric was oddly absent from breakfast and late to training. As much as she wanted to rag on him for being late, the man who was a stickler for punctuality, she let it slide. But not before giving him a look that told him his absence was noticed.

“Initiates. Fall in.” Desi called before stepping back as Four and Eric stepped forward.

“Today, you’ll be partnering up and then rotating those partners.” Four said. “You need to learn how to fight against different styles.”

“Just because we train you the same doesn’t mean you fight the same,” Eric said. Desi was feeling a little bold after last night and spoke up.

“Why don’t we give them an example, Eric?” Desi said, staring into the crowd. Eric blinked and turned to her while Four smirked and suppressed a snicker. Desi looked at Eric and gave him a sweet smile. “Best to lead by example, no?”

“Excellent idea, Desi.” Four said, fueling Eric’s shock and anger. Eric looked at Four and his face hardened. Four turned to him and smirked. Eric cleared his throat.

“Sure.” Was all Eric could muster. He was so shocked by Desi’s sudden boldness, he was left momentarily speechless. Four led the initiates, Eric and Desi to the sparring ring, where Four shrugged off his jacket and stepped in. Eric sighed and did the same. Desi stepped into the ring and stood between the two men.

“Clean fight today boys? First one to hit the ground loses.” Desi said, looking between the two.

“No promises,” Eric muttered. Desi looked at him and narrowed her eyes at him. She took a step back, still glancing between the men as the got into their fighting stance.

“Fight!” Desi shouted, scrambling back, even more, to step off the mat as the men closed in on each other and the initiates erupted in cheers. Eric shot out a fist that Four easily avoided, then made a solid connection to Eric’s side as he ducked and punched. Eric groaned at the impact and swung his knee up to connect with Four’s jaw. Four stumbled back as he tried to regain his footing and closed in again on Eric.

“You think backing her up is going to change my mind?” Eric said.

“About what? She’s a good second. No one is talking about replacing anyone as a leader.” Four said. Eric swung out at him, trying to box Four’s ears, but Four blocked it, locking Eric’s arm and trying to sweep his legs from under him. The men struggled against each other for a moment, before Eric made a dirty move and stomped down, hard, on Four’s foot, causing his knee to buckle as the pain reverberated up his leg. Eric kicked his bent leg out from under him and pinned him to the floor. The initiates cheered the winner as Eric kept Four pinned.

“Hey. Hey! Eric! Let him up!” Desi called, prying Eric off Four to allow him to stand. Desi gripped Eric’s bicep and hauled him away. Eric pulled his arm out of her grasp and rubbed his side. “You won. Leave him alone.”

Eric glared at her, briefly. “Hey, this was your idea.” He said.

“Yeah. A friendly fight, not a TKO.” Desi said. Four sighed and limped off the mat.

“Your turn, Des.” Four called from the side. Both Desi and Eric turned to him and said, “What?”

Four chuckled and said, “Today’s training is about different fighting styles. Eric is aggressive and cocky, I’m relaxed and strategical. You have a different style too, Des.”

Eric turned to her and smirked. “Yeah, Des. It’s been a while since we had a _friendly fight_.” He said. Desi made a face at him and paused a moment. Then she scoffed and took off her jacket, tossing it to the side.

“Fine,” Desi said. She made her way to the center of the mat, Eric following.

“Let’s make this interesting.” Four called from the sidelines as he stood to make his way between them. Eric sighed.

“Not again,” Eric mumbled. Desi smirked.

“What’s the matter, Eric? Afraid to lose again?” She teased. Eric fake laughed and said, “No, I just want this bullshit to be done.”

“Alright, alright. Calm down.” Four said. He looked between Eric and Desi before saying, “If Eric wins, Des, you have office duty for the rest of the day.”

Desi’s mouth dropped, shocked that Four would do that to her. Much to Eric’s delight, he smirked and nodded.

“Sounds fair,” Eric said. Four turned to him and held up his hand.

“Hold on.” He started. “If Desi wins...You give up today’s training to her.”

Desi’s irritation melted away to a sly smirk as Eric’s cocky smile dropped.

“You’re not serious, Four,” Eric said. Four shrugged and said, “If you want to bitch out, be my guest. Just trying to up the stakes here.”

Whispers rippled through the initiates as they watched, many of them hoping Eric would take the bet and end up with Desi leading them today. Eric glanced around, hearing a few of the comments for Desi and scoffed.

“Fine. I’ve beaten her before. I can do it again.” Eric said, crouching into his stance. Desi giggled and did the same as she said, “Baby, it’s been a long time since you’ve touched me. Bring it on.”

“Same rules apply. Clean fight, first one to drop loses.” Four said. He wasted no time in stepping back and calling, “Fight!”

Eric lunged at her, trying to bring her down quick, but Desi easily sidestepped him and shot out a fist that narrowly missed his cheek as he turned his head, his body soon following. They circled each other as punch after punch, kick after kick was dealt, all of them deflected and blocked. Desi managed a solid kick to his stomach, but not before Eric’s fist connected with her jaw. Eric doubled over from the force of the kick, bracing a hand on his knee and still trying to keep Desi in his sights. Desi lunged at him to bring him down, but Eric caught her and tried to flip her. Desi managed to find her footing and landed on her feet, Eric still holding onto her. Both of them tried to trip each other and in doing so, they tripped themselves and they both slammed to the ground. Desi shoved Eric off of her and sat on his hips trying to keep him down. Eric wasn’t having any of it and shoved her off, flipping her onto her back and pinning her wrists to the floor.

“Give up, princess.” Eric purred at her. Desi struggled beneath him as Four began to countdown to reveal the final winner. Eric snickered as his face pulled into a triumphant smile. Distracted by his own cockiness, Desi brought her knee up hard and slammed into his balls. Eric’s smile crumpled into pain as he released her and rolled to his side, cupping himself. Four and the other initiates stilled in shock as Desi sighed from the weight of Eric being lifted from her and she sat up. Four chuckled and went to Desi, holding up her hand. The initiates erupted in applause and cheers. Eric groaned as he rolled to get up, still cupping himself and pressing his forehead to the ground. She took pity on him, having a little too much force than she really wanted and went to him to haul him up.

“Come on, you big baby…” Desi muttered as she and Four helped Eric to his feet.

“We-we both...Fell at the same time…” Eric said through the pain. Four looked at Desi. Desi sighed and said, “I’ll take him to the infirmary. You lead practice until I get back?”

Four nodded. “Sounds good.” He said. Desi put Eric’s arm around her neck and hauled him off to the infirmary.

~

Desi felt bad for Eric and stayed with him until Four came to check on them.

“How is he?” Four asked, trying and failing to hide his smirk. “He still has everything, right?"

Eric looked up from the cot and glared at him. Desi couldn’t help but snicker and shook her head at Four.

“He’s fine. If he leaves the ice on for another half hour he should be fine.” Desi said.

“Says you!” Eric called. “No woman will ever feel this pain!”

“We give birth. Shut up.” Desi retorted back. Eric rolled his eyes and looked away. Four chuckled and said, “Well, training went well. I think the rotation was a good thing for them today.”

“Who made the cut?” Eric asked.

“Your hopefuls. One of them is on the line, though.” Four said. “They’re doing well.”

Eric nodded and sighed. Desi placed a hand on Four’s arm and nodded, silently telling him she was fine to watch him alone. Four nodded and muttered a half-assed ‘Feel better’ before leaving. Desi sat back and glanced at Eric.

“If you hadn’t gotten brave and suggested this, I wouldn’t be here right now,” Eric said, softly. Desi looked at him.

“I only did it to prove a point to them. Everyone has different styles and they can expect it from anyone.” Desi said. Eric still brooded as he stared off away from her. Desi sighed and turned his face to hers. “I didn’t mean to knee you this hard, Eric. I really didn’t.”

Desi sat back, watching him for a moment longer, then looked away. Her face held one of guilt and regret as she bounced her knee as played with the hem of her shirt. Eric shifted and winced, shifting the bag of ice that rested on his crotch.

“Yeah...Well...I...Maybe should have just let up when you had me pinned first…” Eric said. Desi glanced at him and a small smile came to her face. She took a breath and said, “Look, forget about the whole cooking thing. Not just tonight. Just...forget it.”

Eric shifted to look at her better. “Why?” He asked, surprised.

“Because you’re hurt. Look, I feel bad, okay? Just...Drop it and forget it. It’s not like you were going to actually keep your word anyway.” She said, crossing her arms and looking off. Eric gave a light scoff and said, “Why would you think that?’

“Cause it doesn’t benefit you. You didn’t want to do it anyway.” Desi said.

“You kept your word...Kind of.” Eric said. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

“How?” She asked.

“You could have gone back halfway through the training. You didn’t. Deal was if I won, you stepped back, if you won, I stepped back. We both were gone all day.” Eric said. Desi gave a short laugh.

“We were kind of forced, Eric,” Desi said. “Well, you were…”

“Exactly. Why didn’t you go back?” He asked. Desi shifted in her seat.

“I already told you. I felt bad.” She said. Eric sighed and turned his head away from her.

“You can go, Desi. I’ll be fine.” Eric said. Desi nodded and stood, making her way to the door. “You _can_ make this up to me though…”

Desi stopped and turned, beginning to get irritation at the snarky tone in his voice. She narrowed her eyes at him as she said, “What?”

Eric looked at her and smirked. “Trim the dinner shit down to two days and we’ll call it even.” He said. Desi blinked, surprised for a moment, then smirked.

“Fine.” She turned on her heel and strode to the door. “I’ll give you tonight and tomorrow to heal.”

Her giggle echoed as she opened the door and left. Eric smirked and shook his head.

~


	3. Chapter 3

Eric healed quickly, showing up bright and alert the next day for training. Desi sighed and avoided his gaze as she entered the room with Four. She kept her eyes down or at least away from him and silently fell in line behind him and Four. Eric chuckled and glanced back at her as the initiates filed in. Desi stepped forward and called, “Initiates. Fall in.”

She slunk back to her position as they made their way over to the leaders and quieted.

“I heard a lot of you did very well yesterday in my absence.” Eric started. His gaze swept over his chosen few, the ones he thought would be at the top of their class once initiation was over. “So let’s keep it up."

Eric moved through the crowd, Four, Desi and the others following him.

“Today, we will split you into groups.” Eric continued. He turned and his hard gaze fell onto Desi as he smirked and said, “Three groups, to be exact.”

Desi blinked and shot a glance at Four, who looked equally surprised and confused.

“Now, as I wasn’t here to see how each of you fought. I’ll leave it up to Four.” Eric said, going to him and giving his back a gentle pat. “Split them up between me, you...And Desi.”

Eric gave him a friendly smile and stepped back behind him, next to Desi. Four glanced back at him, wondering what his endgame was with this move, but began to separate the initiates as Eric looked on.

“What exactly is the point of this?” Desi asked, softly. Eric chuckled.

“They saw all three of us fight yesterday. I wasn’t here to see who learned from me, who learned from Four.” Eric said. “So we’ll each get out own little group to train.”

Desi looked at him. “You’re giving me your initiates to train.” The statement poised the question, but Desi was too shocked to turn it into such. Eric looked at her.

“Show me what you’re made of, cupcake.” He said. He reached up and tugged a loose curl as he chuckled. Normally, Desi would smack his hand at his fake affection attempts, but she was too stunned to react. Eric’s smirk grew at her silence and he walked away as Four finished dividing the groups. “What do we have, Four?”

“Many of them took notice of me and Desi. But half of them are rather impressionable so...Let’s see what you can mold out of ‘em.” Four said with a smirk, standing in front of his group. Eric nodded and looked at each grouping.

“We will give you 2 hours of our time. Pay attention and take note.” Eric said to each group. “At the end of those two hours, you’ll go up against one of the other groups in single combat. The group with the most wins...Wins.”

Four watched Eric carefully as he spoke, never making a second glance at Desi, who was still speechless. Still, without looking at her, Eric called, “Desi, take your group to the Pit since most of your group is Dauntless-born. Meet us back here in 2 hours.”

Desi sighed, softly, and went to her group, shouting for them to follow her and she led them out and down. Once she was gone, Four stepped up to Eric.

“Why are you doing this to her?” Four asked. Eric chuckled, softly and said, “I thought she deserved her piece from yesterday. We both fell, so she can have her bit of leading a training.”

“I mean, why? Why even care? It happened yesterday. It’s over.” Four said.

“It’s never over, Four.” Eric chuckled. “Let’s just give her her shot and see what she can do.”

Eric smirked at Four then turned to his group to lead them across the training room to begin. Four closed his eyes and shook his head before turning to his group and beginning the day.

~

Desi trained her group hard; climbing, fighting, and a bit of parkour. All of which she integrated into her fighting style. By the end of their time, most of her group had beaten her in mini spars. She took no shame in it, for it meant her initiates learned well and she was confident they would perform well. She led her group back up to the training room and sent them to get a water break as she approached Four as he finished up with his group.

“Excellent, Jay! Excellent.” Four said with a brief clap. He turned to acknowledge Desi as she approached. “Alright, time’s up. Go get some water. We’ll let you know when the matches start.”

Four’s group grumbled off to join Desi’s for some water and a rest. He turned to Desi as she stepped closer, glaring past him at Eric.

“What’s his game? Giving me lead for some training, telling me to go to the Pit?” She hissed. Four chuckled and turned to glance at Eric as he finished up with his group and sent them off for water as well. Eric turned and nodded at Four, signaling him to meet up. Four held up a hand, slightly, to indicate he understood and turned back to Desi.

“I don’t know, Des. But be happy for it. He said he wanted to give you your shot from yesterday.” Four said. Desi looked up at Four and raised an eyebrow.

“We settled that yesterday.” She said. Four raised an eyebrow.

“Really.” He said. Desi sighed and shook her head mumbling, ‘Forget it’ as Eric came over.

“So, Desi. How’d your recruits hold up?” Eric asked, a sweet smile on his face as he stood, hands behind his back. Desi looked at him.

“Don’t try and kiss my ass, Coulter. It only pisses me off more. Let’s just get this done.” Desi said, turning on her heel and striding off. Eric chuckled.

“Seriously, Eric? Lay off her. She’s a good member.” Four said. Eric sighed.

“And she was behind me by mere points when we were all initiated. She was a good recruit too, Four. I’m aware.” Eric said.

“So why the sudden attention and opportunity?” Four asked. Eric shrugged.

“We talked yesterday. I decided, from the goodness of my heart,” Four snorted at the comment causing a quick glare from Eric. “I decided to give her a shot. Is that so bad?”

“Depends.” Four said.

“On what?” Eric asked. Four looked at him and smirked.

“When you’ll admit you like her.” He said. Eric looked at him.

“Excuse me?” Four didn’t respond, except for a smirk and a quick raise of his eyebrows before walking away to join Desi and the initiates. Eric glared at Four as he made his way over.

“Okay, let’s get this moving. We’ll start with...Williams. You’ll go up against Jay from Four’s team. Winner takes on…” Eric swept his gaze over Desi’s group trying to find a weak looking member but found no one that stood out to him. He huffed in frustration and said, “You. With the pink hair.”

“Olivia.” She said as she stepped forward and tossed her pink braid over her shoulder. Desi gave her a proud smirk that Olivia returned. Eric rolled his eyes and said, “Olivia. Winner takes on Olivia from Desi’s team. Let’s go, people!”

The initiates rushed to the mat while Desi held Olivia back to give her more tips. Eric watched the exchange in interest, trying to hear what they were saying. His focus was cut off by Four dropping his hand onto his shoulder. Eric jumped and turned to him. Four gave him a smirk, glancing at Desi before snickering and moving past him to join Jay to prep him.

~

After all was said and done, Eric narrowly beat out Desi with one more win than her from his team. Desi’s last initiate went up against Eric’s and made a fatal miscalculation on her opponent’s reflexes and slammed into the ground. Eric’s team burst into cheers, hoisting their winning teammate onto their shoulders as a small pixie-haired girl got picked up by her teammates. Desi went to her and assured her she fought well.

“I should have known. I should have been watching.” She said, rubbing her cheek, still stinging from a solid connection. Desi rubbed her back and said, “It’s okay. You did good. You learned more from training earlier. You watched all the matches and blocked a lot of repeated blows. You did good, Jas.”

Jas gave Desi a small smile.

“Thanks.” Desi smiled at her and said, “Go on. All of you. Good job today, you guys.”

Her initiates walked off, all of them passing her with a ‘Thank you’ or ‘Good job’. Desi smiled and sighed, satisfied and proud of her work that day. As she turned to walk back to Four, Eric stepped into her path. She sighed and crossed her arms.

“What, Eric?” She asked. Eric’s lips pricked up in a smirk.

“Calm down, Desi. I just wanted to extend my congratulations.” Eric said. “You did well today. You trained them well.”

Desi shifted and glanced away, briefly. “Thank you.” She said, softly. Eric chuckled.

“I’d like to discuss your future here,” Eric said. Desi looked up at him, confused, but a slight hope in her eyes. “You’ve made some bold moves...They need to be taken into consideration.”

All the hope left Desi’s eyes as she became petrified at what he meant.

“Eric…” Desi attempted to plead with him, but Eric cut her off.

“My apartment. Tonight. Before dinner.” He said. “I want to get it done.”

Without another word, Eric left, leaving Desi stunned. She fought tears as Four came over to her, seeing the distress on her face.

“Des. Hey. What happened?” Four asked in concern as he took her arms gently. Desi inhaled and bit her lip. As close as she and Four were, there were still other Dauntless leaders in the room and she refused to let news of her crying get back to Eric. “Desi. What. Happened?”

“Nothing. I-” Desi finally said. She knew if Four learned Eric was contemplating relieving her, or so she assumed, he’d go off on him. Desi shook her head and took a breath, sucking all emotion into her for the time being. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Bullshit.” Four said. “What did he say?”

“Nothing, Four! Just leave it!” Desi shouted. Four sighed and released her as he took a small step back, crossing his arms. Desi pushed a hand through her dark curls and sighed. “I need to shower.”

Desi turned to leave but stopped. She looked back at Four and said, “Do not say anything to him, Four. Let me deal with it.”

Four shrugged, indifferent, and let her walk off. He resolved in himself to give it the rest of the day. If he saw anything off between them tomorrow, he and Eric would have words.

~

Desi let herself cry in her apartment, if only during her shower. The second she stepped out, they were gone, only the mist from the water left on her face. She took a deep breath and dried herself off, toweling down her wet hair. She changed into a pair of black jeans and a black tank top. She rummaged through her drawers to pull out a black striped, long sleeve shirt and tugged it over her head. She slipped into her boots and stopped. She looked at the clock that told her it was too early to head up to Eric’s, not that she wanted to anyway. She went out onto her balcony, letting the warm night breeze dry her hair. She watched the sun dip down toward the horizon and just before it disappeared, she went back inside. She tugged her curls back into a hasty ponytail and strode off, up the stairs to Eric’s apartment. She stood there for a few minutes, going over in her head what she would say to him before she knocked.

“* _ Oh, shit! _ *” Eric’s muffled voice was accompanied by clanging and crashing and then more swearing. “* _ Yeah? _ *”

Desi sighed and opened the door. She opened her mouth to speak but was his with smoke and the smell of something burning filling her nostrils. Desi looked around and found Eric standing over his oven, batting at a flame with his towel. Once it was out, he tossed the towel over his shoulder and sighed, bracing his hands on the counter. He looked up at Desi and gave her a look.

“What are you doing?” She asked, slowly making her way over. Eric sighed and slapped the towel down on the counter, tossing the burnt pan into the sink.

“What does it look like?” Eric said.

“It looks like you’re trying to burn down your apartment...Or Dauntless…” Desi said. Eric looked up at her. “Eric, I thought we agreed to forget about this."  


“Well, I lied. Shocker, right?” He said, standing straight. Now that she was closer, she saw the singe marks on Eric’s shirt. Desi sighed and tugged at the mark, giving him a look.

“Right. Well, clearly you can’t cook, so why even attempt it?” Desi asked. She looked over the messy counter and sighed before casting a chastising look at Eric and pushing him aside.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Cleaning up. Obviously.” Desi said. She wiped down the counters, tossing everything that was food, or rather what was left of it, into the trash. Eric grabbed her wrist as she moved to the sink. Desi turned to him and sighed.

“Let me go, Eric.” She said.

“No.” He said, pulling her away from the kitchen. He released her once she took a step up out of the kitchen. “Go wait for me in my office.”

Desi popped a hip and crossed her arms. “Are you going to get rid of me or not?” She asked. Eric blinked in surprise at her question.

“And why would I do that, exactly?” He asked in return. Desi rolled her eyes.

“Because you’re pissy that I’ve made a few comments to undermine you, in your mind, and you want me gone. You’re kind of easy to read, Eric.” She said. Eric smirked and stepped up to the same step as her, gazing down at her.

“Clearly, you suck at reading then.” He said. “I had thought to bring you up as a choice for a leader when Max steps down...Perhaps, I was wrong.”

Desi inhaled, softly, in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but Eric gripped her upper arm and took her to the door.

“Our meeting is over. Go down to dinner. And don’t be late tomorrow morning.” Eric grumbled at her. He stalked back to the kitchen and began scrubbing at his pots and pans that littered the sink. Desi shook her head and sighed, then left.

~


	4. Chapter 4

The next day went by without a hitch. Training as usual, then dinner then sleep. The day after, it was clear to Four something had shifted in Eric. After training, he looked around for him to drag him off and confront him. To his surprise, however, Four found him consoling Jas as she held a bloody T-shirt to her face.

“It’s okay, Jas. Everyone gets knocked around during training.” Eric said, his voice soft. Four stood a ways back, not wanting Eric to notice and revert back to being an ass. Jas sniffed and pulled the shirt away from her face and touched gingerly at the gash on the side of her face.

“It seriously hurts. It should be against the rules for him to do that. One more inch and it would have gotten my eye.” She said, replacing the shirt.

“I know. I’ll have a talk with Williams. He’ll probably get thrown out for trying to slip a knife into sparring.” Eric said. Jas sighed. “I’m sorry.”

This was the first time he had ever seen Eric be gentle with an initiate, let alone one of the females. Before Four could continue watching, Desi rushed in.

“Jas?!” She saw Eric talking with her and rushed over. “Jas, are you okay? Let me see it.”

Eric stepped back and crossed his arms, letting Desi attend to her.

“I’m sorry, Desi. I was trying the new move you taught us…” Desi cut her off.

“It’s not your fault. You don’t know how to defend against knives.” Desi looked up and glared at Eric. “Where the hell were you?! You were supposed to be watching the matches!”

“Hey, I was trying to make sure my initiates were taking note of the fight. I didn’t see what happened until they all rushed at Williams.” Eric said. Desi stood and went toe to toe with him.

“He was one of your hopefuls. He takes your lead. This is on you.” Desi hissed at him.

“You think I don’t know that already?” Eric said, raising his voice. “Believe me, if I could, I’d throw him in the Chasam for playing dirty like that.”

Desi scoffed. “Not like you wouldn’t try anyway.” She said, turning back to Jas.

“Hey, I’m not going to kill a 16-year-old kid, Desi! I’m not that heartless!” Eric shouted, taking a step toward her. Four saw the movement when Desi didn’t and stepped in.

“Hey. Hey. Calm down. We have him in holding and he’ll be dealt with.” Four said, pressing a hand to Eric’s chest to push him back a few steps. “Des, take her to the infirmary and make sure she’s okay.”

Desi nodded and helped Jas up as a few of her friends stood off to the side. Once Desi had her away from Four and Eric, they rushed at her in concern. Four watched until Desi and the girls had left before turning to Eric. Eric sighed and stepped back, crossing his arms again.

“What? Are you going to ride on me for trying to be nice, now?” He asked. The corners of Four’s mouth pricked up in a slight smirk.

“No. I was going to ask why you suddenly had a heart?” Four asked. “Jasmine is one of Desi’s favorites.”

“I know. What difference does that make?” Eric asked. Four chuckled and shook his head as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“You’re trying to impress her, Eric. I’m not stupid.” Four said.

“Jas? She’s 16, Four! Jesus.” Eric said.

“Not Jas, you idiot!” Four said. He scoffed and glanced away. “If you want to get Desi to see you as a different person or like you back, then listen to me.”

Eric raised an eyebrow. “And you’re still clinging to that delusion, why?” He asked. Four smirked.

“It’s not a delusion if it’s true.” He said. Four nodded toward the door Desi had left through and continued, “She told me about the other night, when you tried and failed to cook for her.”

Eric shifted, uncomfortably, not liking the fact that Four knew about his intention that night. “We had a deal. I lost. I was just trying to keep my word.” He said.

“Yeah. Right. And since when is Max stepping down?” Four asked. Eric blinked at him.

“She seriously told you everything,” Eric said. Four nodded.

“Yeah. She kind of trusts me more than anyone here, in case you haven’t noticed.” Four said. Eric sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before going over to the weight bench and sitting down. Four followed him and leaned against a pillar, crossing his arms. Eric rested his forearms on his knees and held his head in his hands.

“I don’t know how to do this, Four,” Eric said before raising his head to look at him. He held his shrug as she spoke, “I’ve never really liked anyone past a one night stand.”

Four smirked and said, “Are you asking for help?”

Eric gave him a look and said, “Don’t make a joke out of this, alright? I’m fine on my own. But…” Eric paused. Four watched him, waiting for him to speak.

“She’s different, Four. She’s always been different.” Eric finally finished. Four raised an eyebrow.

“So...You’ve liked her since initiation?” Four asked. Eric shrugged.

“Maybe before?” He offered, looking up at him. “She’s Dauntless-born. I’d seen her a few times when I was in Erudite.”

Four chuckled, shocked by this revelation. He lowered himself on the opposite weight bench and said, “Did she know it was you?”

“Yeah. She mentioned it during a training once.” Eric said. He sighed and shook his head, sitting up. “What the hell am I supposed to do here, Four?”

“Well...First of all damage control.” Four said, plainly. Eric gave him a look.

“It’s not my fault that she’s stubborn and pissy,” Eric said. Four chuckled and scrunched his brow in amusement. Eric scrunched his face and stared at his hands. “Shut up.”

Four chuckled and said, “Look, I’ll tell her to come talk to you about today. I’m sure by then she’ll realize you were helping Jas and she’ll thank you or say something nice.”

A small smirk formed on Eric’s face. “I always thought she was too nice to be in Dauntless.” He said. Four smirked.

“The rage I’ve seen her have? She’s Dauntless, she just has her mother’s heart. Her mother  _ was _ from Amity.” Four said. “Look, unclench and just talk to the girl. Worst thing she can do is reject you.”

“No. The worst thing she can do is tell you and then you ride my ass about it.” Eric said, looking at him. Four chuckled.

“Look, if you come to her saying you like her,  _ believe me _ , she won't tell me for a month or two.” Four said. Eric blinked, confused.

“How do you know that?” He asked. Four chuckled and said, “Promise you won’t say anything to her?”

Eric smirked and waited. Four’s smirk dropped and his voice turned serious as he said, “Seriously. You tell her I told you or tell anyone, I will tell everyone you’re flustered and giddy about her. Don’t screw me on this, Eric.”

Eric held up his hands in defense. “Alright. Alright. I won’t say anything.” He said. Four sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“A few years after our initiation, you were leader, I was mainly intelligence...She was Max’s second. She came up behind you in training, Max liked her but thought you’d make a better and stronger leader. She came to me one day after training and said she’d seen you do something, I don’t remember what it was, but she said she felt something.” Four said. Eric blinked.

“Felt something...For me?” He asked. Four shrugged.

“I guess. She never really confirmed anything, but she said she started to look at you different after that.” Four said. “She’s never been fond of you recently, because you’re becoming too much of an ass. Kind of dampens any attraction there.”

Eric snorted. “Is that why you two are so close?” He teased, his meaning hidden in his tone. Four’s face went hard as he stared at Eric, who held up his hands and sat up.

“Kidding?” He offered. Four sighed and stood.

“Just try being nicer around her. It might warm her up to you and then you can ask her out or do whatever it is you want.” Four said. Eric nodded and took a moment before standing. The trip up was short as Four gripped his shoulder and forced him back down. Eric looked up at him, annoyed and confused. “But if I find out you’ve hurt her in any way shape or form…you just may find yourself at the bottom of the Chasam.”

Four gave his shoulder a hard squeeze, making Eric wince and swear in pain before walking off. Eric rubbed his shoulder and winced again. He sighed and shook his head, standing and leaving the room as well.

~

Late that night, Desi finally made her way up to her apartment after leaving Jasmine in the initiate dorms. It took a while for her bleeding to stop and to get her patched up. Once they did, they gave her pain meds that knocked her out cold. Desi helped her friends bring her down to the dorms and put her in her bed.

Desi traipsed her way up the stairs and stopped at her apartment door, leaning her forehead against the cold metal and sighed. She heard footsteps approach but didn’t move, assuming it was Tori or Max. Even if it was Four, they would have known to let her have her moment. She didn’t think for a minute she’d hear Eric’s voice call her name and come up beside her.

“Not. Now. Eric.” She said. Eric gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. She glowered at him and crossed her arms. “Now what do you want?”

“I just wanted to check in.” He said, softly. Desi blinked, surprised by his tone. Not only that, his face and his stance held one of sorrow and awkwardness. Desi shifted, tossing an errant curl over her shoulder.

“Check in?” She asked. Eric sighed and rubbed a hand roughly over his chin.

“How’s Jas?” He asked finally, slapping his hand on his thigh. Desi’s eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise.

“She’s fine. She had to get stitched up a bit, but she’s resting now.” Desi said, letting her voice drop to a softer tone. Eric nodded.

“Good. I’m, uh, I’m glad.” Eric said. With the exception of turning her to face him, Eric never met her eyes again as he spoke. Desi found it rather odd, never having seen the great Eric Coulter like this. She sighed and let her arms fall, holding a wrist and said, “Thank you...for, um, helping her before I got there.”

Eric looked up at her.

“Jas told me what happened. How you got her out of there immediately and didn’t leave her.” Desi said. She glanced down and nodded, saying, “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Eric said. They stood there for a while, awkwardly shifting and not looking at each other before Desi said something.

“I’ll...Probably be a little late tomorrow. Just want to check on Jas.” Desi said.

“She hasn’t been cleared?” Eric asked.

“She needs to go back to get the gash checked to be cleared. I told her I’d go with her so when she’s late you won’t bitch at her.” Desi said, her voice quipped with her usual annoyance. Eric sighed.

“I wouldn’t bitch at her. Not after what happened. I half expected her to not be cleared for training so…” Eric shrugged.

“Well, I’ll let you know tomorrow when I show up.” She said. Eric nodded.

“I’ll see you in training,” Eric said, stepping back and giving a slight bow as he turned to walk away. Desi bit her lip and scrunched her face, slightly confused but content about this sudden change. She sighed and slid open her door and walked in.

~


	5. Chapter 5

Eric came in early to the training room the next day, squeezing in a quick work out of his own. He started on the weight bench and moved on to focus his aggression on the bags. Punch after punch until his arms gave out, Eric lashed out at the bag. Who he imagined the bag was, he wasn’t even sure. It was just something to hit without hurting anyone but himself. When he finally stopped, pressing a fist flush against the leather as he panted, letting his muscles relax. He sniffed and swiped a hand under his nose as he turned to change his sweaty T-shirt for a fresh one. He tore it off and sighed, taking a minute to stand there with his head tilted back. He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Desi stroll in, head down, slow walk and a tense body language.

“Thought you were going to be late?” Eric asked. Desi looked up, quickly, not knowing Eric was there, it being much too early for either one of them. Eric had turned his attention away from her as she approached, focusing on digging through the bag he brought with him to change. Desi had seen him shirtless before; he loved to flaunt his muscles for a few of the new initiates every now and then, just in fun, but he reveled in it because the older Dauntless women eyed him as well. She never paid him any mind until then, letting her eyes roam over him as his muscles rippled as he dug through his bag and pulled out a fresh shirt. She got a better look at his tattoos for once. They were big and bold, just like him. Desi looked away and cleared her throat.

“Um, I was. But...I got woken up this morning.” Desi said, going to sit on the weight bench. Eric looked at her as his head poked through the shirt. His brow furrowed in worry.

“By who?” He asked. Desi sighed and rubbed her fingers over her forehead.

“Infirmary.” She said, softly. Eric sighed and tugged his shirt down, hard, closing his eyes for a moment. He looked down at Desi and said, “What happened?”

Desi sniffed and looked up at him, trying to blink away small tears that formed.

“Unless Dauntless decides to give her special circumstances for Williams’ ignorance of the rules, she’s going to be left Factionless,” Desi said. She looked down as she continued, “The blade wasn’t clean and it started an infection that could make her lose her sight in one eye.”

Eric sighed and rubbed his face. He watched her for a moment, seeing how upset she was, just as he was upset that he had lost a hopeful, though Eric internalized, Desi externalized. Eric gave another, softer, sigh and knelt in front of her, resting a hand on her knee.

“I’m sorry, Des. But...We have to let her go.” Eric said. Desi nodded, already knowing Jas was too far gone. “I’ll make sure we can take care of her until she heals, but...If she can’t even get to the final test…”

“I know,” Desi said, looking up at him with a sad smile. “We talked about it but she just broke down crying. They had to sedate her to get her to rest.”

Eric paused before speaking.

“If you...Want to stay with her today…” He started. Desi shook her head and stood, pushing Eric back from her as she did and forcing him to stand.

“No. Just because I took a liking to her doesn’t mean I have to abandon everyone else.” She said with a sigh. “I told her I’d come see her one more time after training.”

“One more time?” Eric asked. Desi nodded and sighed.

“I can't cling to losing someone...Again.” With the additional word, Eric’s face twitched. While he wasn’t fond of Matthew, Eric recognized talent when he saw it. Losing Matthew so tragically affected everyone in Dauntless. Eric reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but she brushed past him. “Um...Four doesn’t know yet. Neither do her friends. I’m gonna go pull them real quick.”

Eric nodded, understanding.

“They might be late. I-I’m sorry, but I know how hard they’ll take it.” Desi said. “Um...I’ll bring them back with me.”

“Take your time, Des,” Eric said. Desi glanced up at him and smiled, lightly. “We’ll see you later.”

Desi nodded and quickly crossed the room, trying to make it out of the room before the sob that was caught in her throat got out, but she failed. Just as she reached the door, the sob squeaked out causing Eric to look her way. She hurried out the door and let it slam behind her. Eric sighed and shoved his sweaty T-shirt into his bag and zipped it up. Just as he turned to leave, Four walked in, holding a clipboard in his hand. Four always came in early to reset the board for the day and was usually alone. So when he looked up to also glance around for a game plan for the day’s training, he jumped when he saw Eric sauntering over.

“Hey, what-what are you doing here?” Four asked, checking his watch. Eric sighed and said, “Just wanted an early morning workout.”

“Whoa. Hey.” Four blocked his path and held out a hand to stop him. “What happened? Did you talk to Desi?”

“Yeah. Last night. I came back from a run and she was at her door.” Eric said. Four raised his eyebrows and said, “And? What happened?”

“She said thank you for watching Jas,” Eric said with a shrug.

“That’s it? You didn’t...Mention anything else?” Four asked gently. Eric gave him a look.

“She was worried about Jas. I’m not going to profess my…Feelings to her while she’s like that.” Eric said. The panic in Eric’s eyes as he almost said ‘Profess my love’ didn’t go unnoticed by Four. He shifted and said, “So there’s more feelings than just an attraction?”

Eric closed his eyes and sighed. “I never should have said anything to you,” Eric said, pushing past him. Four sighed and grabbed his arm as he passed.

“Hey. Eric.” Eric stopped but didn’t turn to him. “I’m just trying to help you here.”

“You should go talk to Desi. She got an update on Jas.” Eric said. Four blinked as Eric pulled his arm away and walked out.

~

The rest of the day went by on schedule. Desi showed up about an hour late with Jasmine’s friends and they quickly fell into the session, throwing themselves into their fights, winning most of them. At the end of the day, Desi gave them one more talk and a quick, half hug before letting them go. Desi took a minute, isolating herself, before going over to talk to Four about the upcoming training. She left fairly quickly after, keeping herself busy with anything she could get her hands on. Before she knew it, it was well past sundown and dinner was over and the kitchens were closed. As she made her way back up to her room, she smacked into Eric as he turned the corner.

“Whoa!” They both shouted, Desi holding out her hands in front of her and Eric gripping her arms as she stumbled back. Eric gazed down at her as she straightened herself and looked up at him. The second their eyes locked, Eric released her, took a step back and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sorry.” He said. Desi shrugged.

“Not your fault,” Desi said. She glanced at him and saw the bag over his shoulder and said, “Coming back from a run?”

Eric nodded. “Yup. Just about to head down to the kitchens to grab something and…”

“Kitchens are closed,” Desi stated. Eric looked at her and then his watch before giving an annoyed sigh.

“Dammit,” Eric said. Desi chewed her lip before speaking.

“I have leftover steaks from the new batch they just got...I was gonna make myself something. Didn’t make it to dinner.”

Eric chuckled and said, “Me either.”

Desi raised an eyebrow and said, “You’ve been running the entire time?”

“No. Not the entire time. I just…” Eric paused and glanced at her as he shrugged. “Lost track of time.”

“Well, I was gonna make something anyway.” Desi offered. Eric looked at her and smirked.

“Sure.” He said. Desi gave him a small smile and moved past him to head up the stairs. They got to Desi’s apartment and Eric dropped his bag at the door, glancing around. The corners of his mouth turned down and his eyebrows raised, impressed.

“I’ve never been in your apartment before.” He said. Desi looked over at him from the fridge and smiled.

“Yeah, I kind of poured my life into this place?” She said. Eric chuckled and walked further in and over to the kitchen.

“I can see that.” He said, leaning on the counter. He watched Desi work and move as she got everything ready. She worked quickly and quietly, everything turning out much better than his attempt at something fancier than his normal meals for her. “So, do you cook a lot?”

Desi shrugged and nodded. “Yeah. I used to do it all the time with my mom.” She said. Eric watched her, studied her, rather. She tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears and constantly tossed her curls this way and that to keep them out of her face. When the steaks were done, she slipped them onto plates and slid one over to Eric as she took hers to the end bar and slid into a seat. Eric started cutting his meat and popped a bite into his mouth as he looked up at her on the other end. She had finished cutting her meat but simply pushed it around with her fork, her face skewed in thought. Eric brought his plate down closer to her and kept his eye on her as he ate slowly. She never once brought a piece of meat to her mouth, only picked at it or pushed it around.

“Des.” Eric’s voice shattered her thoughts as she jumped at his voice. She looked up and said, “I’m fine.”

She picked up a few pieces and popped them into her mouth, looking away. Eric sighed.

“No. You’re not,” Eric said. Desi rolled her eyes.

“Like you care.” She said. Her voice wasn’t annoyed or malicious, rather it was more of an obligatory retort.

“I do. I just...Don’t show it well, I guess.” He said. Desi gave him a look. “Alright. I don’t show it well at all. Jesus…”

“Eric, I don’t need you taking pity on me, okay? You don’t like me and I don’t like you. So just,  _ please _ stop trying to fix shit? Just leave it the way it is and we’ll be cordial when we have to be.” Desi huffed.

“Hey, you’re the one who invited me up here tonight. I could have said no and told you to screw off.” Eric said.

“So, why didn’t you?!” Desi asked, shooting her head up at him. She had him caught. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t quite ready to tell her about how he felt, especially not now when all she would do is throw it back in his face. He didn’t know why, but something about this woman drove him insane, but yet he wanted to be around her more. “Well?”

“I don’t know.” He said, finally. “I felt bad that you looked so upset. Thought you wanted company or whatever.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t be my first choice.” She said. Eric sighed and tossed down his fork, standing straight.

“Then maybe I should just go.” He said. Desi hopped down from her chair and said, “Maybe you should.”

She strode over to the door, Eric in tow, and scooped up his bag and held it out to him. Eric swiped it out of her hands as he got closer. Desi stood directly in front of the door and crossed her arms. Eric’s lips twitched into and wicked smirk and crowded her against it.

“Are you going to move if you want me out so bad?” He asked, lowering his voice as if to get a rise out of her. Which it did, but Desi hid it through the irritation plain on her face.

“Are you going to ask nicely?” She shot back. He chuckled and reached up to rub a curl between his fingers.

“Are you going to  _ please _ move, if you want me out so bad?” He teased. Desi glared at him before pushing his hand away and moving aside. Eric pulled the door open and looked at her as she turned to walk away. She was too close for him to grab her shoulder and not do it awkwardly, so instead, he snaked an arm around her waist and brought her back. Desi stumbled at the sudden action and she fell back against him, gripping his arm. Eric smirked as he tipped his head down to press his lips into her hair by her ear and said, “Remember to not be late  _ again _ tomorrow.”

With the combination of his tone and the way he had her, Desi suppressed a shiver and tried to level her breathing as she turned to look at him.

“I won’t be.” She said, hotly. Eric smirked and slowly pulled his arm back to release her, letting his hand drag along hers. He gave one final chuckle before taking off down the hall and the stairs to his apartment. Desi slid the door closed behind her and rested her back against it, reaching a hand up to her chest.

Her heart was pounding from the contact and she didn’t know how to feel about it. She stood there for a moment or two longer before her heart calmed and she resolved herself to speak with Four the next day. Desi pushed herself off the door and cleaned up her kitchen before stripping off her clothes and changing into looser fitting clothes and going to bed.

Eric got to his room and chucked his bag across the room, sighing in irritation. He wasn’t sure who he was more irritation with; Desi or himself for brushing off his feelings and getting angry with her. The last 15 minutes played over and over in his mind, lingering on his departure. He realized that he rather enjoyed her being pressed against him and wished it was in a different way. Eric flopped onto his bed, face first, and groaned into the pillow. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, deciding he had to seriously talk to Four in the morning.

~


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, neither Eric or Desi sought out Four. Both of them being stubborn and quite honestly, unsure of what to even say, they avoided as much unnecessary contact as they could between the three of them. Four caught on to their changed moods toward one another and waited for one of them to break and pull him aside. Of course, this didn’t happen until another two days later when Four had finally had enough and dragged Eric out of training to speak to him.

“Des, finish off training today.” Four said, coming up alongside her as she spoke with a few initiates, giving them advice. Desi blinked and turned to him, surprised.

“Eric’s okay with this?” She asked.

“He will be.” Four said, loud enough only for Desi to hear. The tone in his voice and the look in his eye as he caught sight of Eric made Desi shoo the initiates away and stop him.

“Four. Don’t…” Desi grabbed his arm, but he shook it off and said, “We have something to discuss. Don’t worry. I won’t hurt him...Much…”

“Four…!” Desi sighed and shook her head, scratching at her temple as Four stalked off toward Eric, gripping his shoulder and pulling him away from Max, offering only a solid ‘Excuse us’ as he hauled him away and out the door.

“Have you lost your goddamn mind?!” Eric called as Four chucked him down the hall. Eric turned to him, storming back over to him and getting in his face. “What do you want?”

“I want to know what the hell happened with her.” Four said. “She’s not herself and Tori told me she saw you leaving her room the other night looking pissed off.”

Eric sneered and took a few steps back. “Tori needs to mind her business.” Eric said. Four lunged at him, but Eric tossed him off, Four slamming into the wall.

“What the hell happened, Eric?! Did you forget what I told you?!” Four shouted, stepping up to him.

“I didn’t do anything to her!” Eric shouted back. “She doesn’t know anything. I didn’t say shit to her!”

“Then why is she acting like this?! I know her, Eric. She doesn’t just get like this for attention.” Four said. Eric held Four’s glare for a moment before sighing and turning away, clenching his fists.

“I didn’t do anything to her…” Eric repeated as he kept his back to Four. He sighed, again, heavily and said, “I saw her after my run that night after the shit with Jas happened. I was out late.”

Four stayed quiet and watched him as he continued.

“She mentioned she missed dinner, told her I did too and that I was pissed that the kitchens were closed...She offered to make something and I accepted.” Eric said. Four’s face scrunched in confusion.

“So what happened?” Four asked again. Eric turned to him and crossed his arms.

“We’re both stubborn as fuck. That’s what. I was trying to be nice and ask her if she was okay and she just threw it back at me, saying I didn’t really care and shit. I got pissed and she basically kicked me out.” He said.

“That’s it?” Four asked. Eric looked at him.

“I was trying to get a rise out of her and got in her face...Not like I wanted to fight her or anything just…” Eric paused, his face changing as he thought back to that night. “...Close.”

Four raised an eyebrow. “You kissed her?” He asked, becoming utterly confused at this point. Eric shook his head, pausing to think for a moment then chuckled.

“I think if I did that, at that particular time, you’d be visiting me in infirmary,” Eric said with a smirk. Four couldn’t help but smirk, knowing that sounds like something Desi would do, were Eric to piss her off beyond the point of no return. He couldn’t help but chuckle himself before saying, “So, what did you do then?”

“We were just close…” Eric said. “Really...Close.”

Four watched him and took a step toward him. “Did it help your situation?” He asked. Eric looked at him as his lips pricked in a smirk.

“Made it worse, actually.” He said. He looked down and said, “I think I like her even more…”

Four sighed and shook his head. “You’re never going to tell her, are you?” He asked.

“I will. Eventually. When it’s the right time.” He said. Four gave a dismissive scoff and said, “Eric. It will never be the right time. Grow some balls and tell her.”

“Yeah, Four, it’s easy for you to say,” Eric said, his brow scrunching in annoyance. “You’re the one who’s basically a robot when it comes to this. Everything is laid out plain and simple for you, Four. You have a fucking answer for everything!”

“So what’s your answer to this then, Eric?! Because it doesn’t look like anything is making progress or getting better!” Four shot back. Eric growled at him before turning away and rubbing his face. Four sighed and rubbed his fingers over his forehead. “Look. Go for a walk, a run...Something. Me and Desi can handle the rest of training. After dinner, I’ll meet you in your office at 8.”

“Why, Four?” Eric asked, lifting his head up and turning to him.

“So we can talk about this calmly. I’m sick of seeing her like this and you’re pissing me off with the way you’re dancing around her with it.” Four said, opening the door to the training room. “Take a break. Meet me in your office.”

Before he let Eric respond, Four strode into the room and let the door shut behind him, leaving Eric alone with his thoughts. He sighed and stormed off as Four rejoined Desi with the initiates.

“Come on, Peters! Let’s go!” Desi called, clapping her hands as she cheered on one of her other hopefuls. Four called out for the other opponent as he came up beside Desi. She gave him a sideways glance. She turned her full attention to the match until Peters pinned his opponent to the floor and won the match. Desi smiled, proudly, and cheered for him, clapping and stepping into the ring to help up his opponent. “Well done. Well done.”

“Damn, Ben.” Peters opponent said, rubbing his face with a smirk.

“Better watch yourself, Marc. I’ve got the Desi style.” Ben teased, playfully jostling around in a fight stance. Marc wrapped his arm around Ben’s neck, playfully, and both boys laughed. Desi chuckled and patted both of them on the back.

“Go on.” She said, nudging them off the mat. “Alright, guys. Good job. We’re done for today.”

The initiates sighed in relief as they all filed out of the room. Desi sighed and braced her hands on her back as she slowly walked off the mat, making her way to Four who stood waiting for her, his arms crossed. She looked up at him as she tucked her arms across her chest.

“Where’s Eric?” She asked, her voice more of a professional wondering than personal. Four uncrossed his arms and said, “He took a break.”

“Why?” She asked. Four shrugged.

“Seemed like he needed it. He looked too tense to me. Told him we could handle training.” He said. Desi shifted.

“Why did he seem tense?”

“Probably some issue with intelligence. He’s been getting more involved lately.” Four lied. Desi gave him a look that made him smirk. He knew she knew he was bullshitting her. Desi was the one person he couldn’t lie to. At least not without reason.

“Four…”

“He told me what happened the other night.” Four said. Desi blinked, her eyes widening in a slight fear. If Eric had told Four about that night, who else did he tell? She wasn’t about to let Eric make her look crazy to the rest of Dauntless. “Okay, I forced it out of him.”

Desi’s face relaxed, if only slightly. She didn’t like the fact Eric even said anything and a bit bothered Four didn’t come to her first.

“Why even bring it up?” She asked, tugging on a curl before sliding her hand through the rest of them. Four gave a heavy sigh and said, “Tori told me she saw him coming out of your room looking pissed. She was worried about you and asked if I’d talk to him about it.”

“Tori never said anything to me,” Desi said. Four shrugged.

“She probably knew I’d talk to you about it anyway.” He said. Desi sighed and walked past him as he turned and followed. “Do you like him?”

His question was so blunt and casual, Desi stopped suddenly and looked at him. Four smirked and gave a chuckle.

“Come on. I haven’t forgotten what you told me that day after training.” Four said. “When you met me in the office and told me what you saw?”

Desi gave a small smirk, remembering the tender moment between Eric and a broken and bloody initiate. While Eric wasn’t all rock when he first joined and was adjusting to being leader, he had felt bad for the kid being brutalized by another overzealous initiate. Desi had hid in the shadows as she watched him take care of the boy.

Desi looked at Four and gave him a look as she turned away and headed for the door.

“So?” Four asked.

“So what?” She tossed over her shoulder as she opened the door and walked out. Four chuckled and said, “So...Did whatever you felt just die?”

“Well, he’s kind of an ass now?” Desi said as they walked through the halls.

“Yeah. But I’m sure you’ve noticed the change in him?” Four asked. Desi shrugged. Four sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her off to the side to stop. Desi pulled her arm away and looked at him as other Dauntless passed. “Des. You tell me everything. Why stop now?”

Desi bit her lip and shifted. Finally, she looked away as she sighed, glancing around to see if anyone was listening, or worse; Eric was nearby. When she was sure they were safe, she turned back to Four and said, “I’ve always had a thing for him...Deep... _ Deep _ down…”

Four smiled and nodded. “Ever since that day?” He asked. Desi nodded with a shrug.

“Sort of. I noticed him when I went with my mom to Erudite.” Desi smiled remembering her mother. “She always wanted me to be in intelligence like her.”

“And you ended up being a straight-up badass like your dad.” Four teased. Desi giggled and nodded.

“I thought he was cute,” Desi confessed. “Then he transferred and he kind of...Changed. He started becoming the asshole we know and hate today.”

The comment made both her and Four laugh before she continued. She sighed and gave another shrug, turning to rest her back against the rock wall.

“We had...Like a moment the other night...It’s probably why Tori saw Eric pissed when he left my room.” Desi said.

“A good moment?” Desi looked at him.

“He walked off pissed, Four. No, it wasn’t good.” She said with a soft chuckle. Four smirked and let her continue. Desi took a breath and said, “He pissed me off...I probably pissed him off too and I was being a bitch and didn’t move from the door...He crowded me and was trying to be cute in that...Annoying Eric way…”

Desi shifted and held her arm, thinking back.

“I moved and he opened the door. I thought he was gonna just storm out but he put his arm around me. Like around my waist and he pulled me closer.” Desi said. Four shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but let her talk so he knew what to say to Eric later. Desi chewed her lip and said, “I...Liked being like that. He was...Like, strong and domineering…”

Desi glanced up at Four and smirked at his expression. She gave a soft chuckle and said, “I’m not doing this.”

She moved to walk off but Four chuckled and stopped her.

“Hey. Hey. Relax.” Four said. Desi looked up at him and sighed. Four cleared his throat and said, “Look, Eric gave me his office tonight. He said he has business with Max or something...I told him I needed some of his files. Meet me there after dinner around 8. Tell me everything and we can figure it out.”

Desi stood there for a moment, her face wrinkling with thought.

“What if I don’t want to figure it out?” She asked, more worried than angry. Four pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple. Desi sighed into the embrace and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Trust me on this, okay? Just give me 15 minutes. After that, you can walk off and I’ll never mention it again. Yeah?” Four pulled away from the hug and looked down at her. Desi rolled her neck a bit and looked up at him, giving him a small nod. Four smiled and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. I’ll see you later.”

Four let her go and stepped away, making to walk in the other direction. Desi smiled and nodded.

“8 O’clock,” Desi said. Four pointed at her and smiled, saying, “8 O’clock.”

Four chuckled and walked off, smirking to himself that his plan was all laid out.

~

Four avoided Eric and Desi for the rest of the night. He didn’t show up to dinner and simply snagged a meal from the kitchen, taking it up to his room to eat. He stuck close to Eric’s room around 7:45, though he kept himself concealed. When Desi showed up at 8 and knocked on the door, Eric thankfully tossed open the door, expecting Four. When he saw Desi standing there, his face dropped. His face flushed, whether in anger or him being annoyed with her, Desi wasn’t sure. She herself looked shocked to see Eric still there but brushed it off as she spoke.

“Sorry...Um, is Four here? He...Said to meet him…” Desi said. Eric shifted and said, “He, uh, should be here soon…”

An awkward silence hung between them for a moment.

“I can come back...Uh, maybe he meant to tell me a different time.” Desi said. Eric nodded and said, “Yeah. Same for me...Uh, but you can wait in here for him if you want. I’ll...Go track him down.”

Four sighed, irritated at how stubborn Eric was. He stepped out of his hiding spot and went toward them.

“Hey. Good, you’re both here.” Four said with a smirk on his face. Both of them turned to him just as confused as the other.

“Four. What the hell is going on, man?” Eric asked. Four smiled as he guided Desi into Eric’s apartment.

“I can explain everything. I promise.” He said. Eric closed the door and turned to him. “Let’s discuss this in your office maybe? In case someone decides to interrupt.”

Eric sighed as he scratched the back of his neck, holding out his hand as he let it fall.

“Shit. Sure. Why not?” Eric said, sauntering across the room to a door. He opened it and walked in as Four and Desi followed him.

“Four, what are you doing?” Desi hissed at him. Four didn’t respond, only held the door and stepped aside to let Desi in. She sighed and strode in, immediately turning to erupt on Four, but the last thing they saw was Four swinging the door shut and heard him prop a chair against the knob. Desi closed her eyes, mouth still open as if she was going to say something before she slowly closed it and she curled her fists. Eric stood behind her and sank into his chair, covering his face with a sigh. Desi opened her eyes and erupted with, “Are you  _ freaking kidding me, Four?!” _

“You two aren’t coming out of there until you both tell each other what you need to.” Four said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “You two are both stubborn, but guess what? So am I.”

Eric looked up. “Both? Both what? What  _ both!? _ ” Eric called, standing and letting his gaze drift to Desi. Desi’s eyes widened as she realized what Four had done.

“You know, I’m feeling a bit peckish.” Four sighed as he pushed himself off the wall. “See, I can leave and I know nothing will happen to the door, because Eric won’t let you break it, Desi. And Eric...You’d just be breaking your own stuff.”

Four chuckled at his handiwork as he made his way to the door.

“I’ll be back for you guys though. Don’t worry.” Four said as he opened the door. He stared at the closed door of Eric’s office and smirked at the chair he managed to silently remove from the door and snickered. “Bye.”

Inside the office, Eric and Desi heard the door shut and Desi sighed, falling into a nearby chair. Eric watched her closely as she shoved her hands through her hair and inhaled.

“I’m going to kill him.” She said, more to herself than Eric.

“Des, what did he mean ‘until you both tell each other what you need’...?” Eric asked. Desi had quickly shifted, yanking her legs up on the chair and shoved one under her, an arm wrapped around another. She looked at him and blinked. She shifted again, pushing her leg away from her as she sat back.

“I don’t know?” She lied. Eric narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. He gave a quick and small smirk before he spoke.

“What did you tell him?” He asked plainly. She straightened and said back, “What did  _ you _ tell him?”

“Huh, huh, no, I asked you first,” Eric said, pointing at her as he stood. “He wouldn’t have done anything unless you said something.”

“What makes you think this is my fault?!” She shouted.

“Because I’ve never seen him talk to you anymore! He’s always fucking talking to me!” He shouted back. Desi smirked.

“So what did you say to him then?” She asked. Eric opened his mouth then closed it, realizing he ratted himself out. He held out an open hand to her, opening his mouth again, then closed it as he closed his hand and lowered it.

“I told him how I felt about you,” Eric stated. That wasn’t the response Desi was expecting and it wiped the smirk off her face in surprise.

“And how is that exactly?” She asked. Eric shifted and leaned against his desk, crossing his arms. He clenched his jaw for a moment before saying, “That I’m...Attracted to you.”

Desi tilted her head, slightly, and opened her mouth a bit to speak, but stopped and closed it as she sighed and glanced down. She looked back up at him through her eyelashes and said, “Really? For how long?”

Eric sighed and dropped his arms into his lap, clasping his hands together. He knew he was caught and at this point, he had no choice but to just let it all out and deal with whatever came. “Started in Erudite. Really took hold during initiation…”

“And it grew…?” She prompted. Eric shrugged and said, “Not sure. I just know that I kind of really noticed it...Probably during Capture the Flag.”

Desi cocked her head in surprise. “Really?” She asked, genuinely. “Why?”

“You just...Seemed different. I can’t explain it, Des. I only know that’s when it really hit me, okay?” He said. He shook his hands at her, briefly, then rounded the desk to stand at the window, bracing his hands on the sill. They stayed there for a moment before Eric glanced back at her. “So...What, you feel the same way or something?”

Desi shifted and let her leg slide off the chair. “Yes.” She said, simply. Eric turned to her and watched her. She shrugged and continued.

“I’ve always thought you were attractive. It’s kind of obvious you are.” She started. Desi looked up at him. “But you’re seriously a dick and I just didn’t want to be bothered with you.”

Eric turned back to look out the window and chuckled before he turned to her completely.

“I don’t want to be made to look like I’m weak, Des. This whole...Showing emotion shit...It’s not me.” He said.

“That doesn’t mean you have to be fucking rude.” She said. “They’re 16-year-old kids. They’re not going to magically turn into the Dauntless soldiers you want overnight. You have to teach them and not degrade them.”

Eric sighed. “It’s how I was taught.” He said.

“Yeah. Me too. Ever wonder why I rebelled so hard and got in a shit storm of trouble?” She asked, giving him a look. Eric smirked and said, “You were a loud mouth and a troublemaker back then too.”

Desi couldn’t help but smirk and chuckle as she glanced down to pick at her nails, briefly, before looking up at him again. Eric nodded and slowly made his way back over to the other side of his desk.

“Honestly, I actually liked that about you.” He admitted. “You seemed tougher back then.”

Desi huffed out a breathless laugh and said, “Do you not remember my knee jamming your balls back into your body?”

The memory made Eric winced and let a hand hover over his crotch.

“Ahh. Let’s never mention that again?” He asked. Desi giggled and shook her head. Eric watched her as she avoided looking at him, no doubt trying to think of something else to say or admit. Before she could say anything, Eric went to her and grabbed her hand to pull her up flush against him. Desi gasped at the sudden movement and gripped his biceps as his hands encircled her waist. Eric smirked down at her, reaching a hand up to push a hand through her hair to move it from her face. He let his hand slowly slide down and rested his thumb on her cheek, his fingertips on her neck. Desi let a small, sly smirk prick her mouth as Eric pulled her face closer to his.

“Never thought I’d see the day when Eric Coulter could actually be sweet…” Desi teased him. Eric chuckled and said, “Never thought I’d see the day when Dresden Harper would be the one I’d be sweet on.”

They both chuckled and Desi said, “Are you going to continue making jokes? Or are you going to kiss me?”

“Are you going to ask nicely?” Eric murmured. Desi’s smirk widened, as did Eric’s as he eased his lips down over hers and kissed her, deep and slow.

Four had caught the last bit of the conversation, having quietly snuck back in to make sure they hadn’t killed each other. He was leaning against the wall again and smiled at Eric’s comment. He reached over and jiggled the doorknob to make them think he had ‘unlocked’ it and made his way out of the apartment. Whether Eric and Desi heard or didn’t care, Eric broke the kiss and pressed their foreheads together as they chuckled and smiled at each other.

~


End file.
